(continued)

BALL:  That too because um of course he lived right across the street and pearl was his wife, Pearl Nichols and it was her folks that had the dinning hall and of course she lived there too at that time. Now are we recording now?

CURTAIN:   Yeah.

BALL:  Well then when we would come from the, I think I finished that part about coming home and lighting our candles to be sure that the candles were lighted after we got home from the other place. Then past, you wanted me to tell you about the dining hall itself?

CURTAIN:  Yes

BALL:  It had one main room where the family lived and I believe then there was a porch and the kitchen area was in back of that the dining hall itself was an immense piece of machinery and it just took up that one entire room plus then they had another bedroom up in front and I suppose they had other areas there but the family lived in that little house and it must have been tremendously noisy when the dining room was running so no wonder they were glad to turn it off at 12:00.

CURTAIN:  Did this have to be manned all the time that it as on?

BALL:  Yes they had to be there and it was run by water as I said with the pipe that came down from the ditch, a large pipe and it was, then the water would run the dining hall and then go into the creek that ran behind and that is the, by the way the begging of Sullivan Creek this that runs right down here.

CURTAIN:  Oh it is? Oh

BALL:  Uh huh it is the begging of Sullivan Creek, all this area goes into the Sullivan Creek are too so that is this part of it, then beyond the Dynamo house right at the turn of the road were that was the place where the Chinese had their little houses and they did the laundry for a lot of the people here I suppose, not all but they did a very beautiful job and uh then.

CURTAIN:  With very primitive equipment.

BALL:  Very primitive and of course they were in that are because the little creek was right behind and I suppose they would get the water from the creek and then dump it back in after they were finished. That is the way most of us lived up here very in a very primitive way in those days and uh as I mentioned about their Chinese New Year we always remembered that and we always made a point of going down to get the laundry at that time because they would keep little uh packages or little plates or dishes of their uh umm Chinese candies the uh the crystal ginger the crystallized ginger and uh their chee chee nuts I believe that is what they were called they were a crystallized nut and you would eat the whole thing.

CURTAIN:  They were great treats for you.

BALL:  Yes they were they were because we didn’t have that much except for home made candies, my mother used to make fondants and things of that sort.

CURTAIN:  Now someone told me that the Chinese were run out of here because they uh, well something about the wage in the mine? Something like that.

BALL:  Well that is the reason I’m very sorry I really know absolutely nothing about the Chinese in fact I really don’t remember too much about I remember seeing them here I do remember the Indians by the way.

CURTAIN:  Tell me something about the Indians.

BALL:  Well the Chinese I hope you’ll be able to get that tape recording of my brothers from Beverly Barron because it was definitely on that and I’m sure you should get a great deal of information about that well the Indians those folks I do remember they were the Mi Wuks and we called them digger Indians at that time. The four boys went to school, by the way this is a picture of the people who were in our school you asked how many were going at that time (refers to picture) I don’t show that very often because I am here with my hair stringing down and black panel pants which we all wore in those days which our mothers for us because everything was so very dirty around you know dust and so on so we all wore those kind.

CURTAIN:  I recall that I had to wear heavy stockings ( they talk over each other)

BALL:  They were all heavy uh huh and as I say we all, all of us wore those black knickers or whatever their called but that those were both rooms and this was the principal Tom Trengo and may I see just a moment (refers to picture) I believe that was Olive Specker the primary teacher I’m not exactly, we had quite a few but I believe that was Olive Specker.

CURTAIN:  Do you know how many teachers?

BALL:  Just the 2 teachers. And 4 grades in each room, when I started teaching in Sonora I had 48 children to 2^nd grade one class my first year I taught there.

CURTAIN:  48 children in one grade.

BALL:  2^nd grade

CURTAIN:  Well then Sonora had quite a large attendance didn’t they.

BALL:  This is when I was teaching there.

CURTAIN:  Well that’s what I mean.

BALL:  Oh yes the Sonora Elementary I’m talking about. We were at, we had the dome we were teaching in the dome, yes we did but of course we just had the one grade just one teacher for one grade, no teacher’s aid or yard duty but it was ok we did alright but you said you were interested in seeing it so I thought you might. The Indians now let me think I don’t know that I can do anything more I was this is the way we used to camp in those days, but I don’t think that’s of interest I tried to find a few more pictures while you were gone. Um they lived up oh I started to tell you about the Fuller’s Chief Fuller and um he lived up how am I going to tell you this, do you know where the new um where the septic are for Twain Harte is off ….. that direction have you ever driven out in that direction?

CURTAIN:  I think not.

BALL:  Going up past um the Crystal Falls are, oh dear what is that area called.. Well at any rate they lived right up in that are, Chief Fuller and his family and the boys went to our school. I was wondering if any of them were in this picture but I don’t see if they were.

CURTAIN:  They came down here to school?

BALL:  Well it was the closest I don’t think we have any in this area there should have been something, just a couple of the boy’s we knew very well. It’s hard to the Crystal Falls Fall’s do you know where they are?

CURTAIN:  Yes.

BALL:  Well at the top of the falls there beyond up wards was an are where these Indian’s lived and that was where they have Indian hole’s in the rocks these huge rocks from grinding the acorns CHUMUCK it was called in those days I have loads of Indian baskets which I have put away but would love to show you sometime if you would like to see them? That were made by those Indians.

CURTAIN: Chumuck was the meal? Ground from

BALL: Chumuck was what they called acorn bread and but Chumuck was what the Indians called it. They would grind the acorns and put it in um one of these basket containers then they would have rocks that they would heat in a fire, they would take the rock and put it in water to wash it and then into the acorn mess which was cooking, this was cooking. Then they’d take that out and have another hot and then they’d keep putting hot ones in until it reached the consistency that they considered that was their acorn as I said Chumuck.. Well Jenny the older woman there used to come down and she would come down and help my mother wash on Mondays always she would want to eat out on our back porch area she would not eat with us she wouldn’t eat with us and whenever she wanted more tea she would bang on the side of her tea cup so we would get more tea for her. I

CURTAIN:  She would walk from up there to wash.

BALL:  Yeah from up there too here, and her daughter uh she had two daughters Rosy and Matilda and they made the Indian baskets all of them and they made beautiful baskets, mine are up stairs or I could show them to you and Matilda made a little small ones little papoose ones for my sister and me to keep our dolls, just the little small papoose baskets. The Indians in this area, I’ve got something that you are probably gona be glad to see, if you wana just stop that for just a minute. This is a recording or a record that my grandfather had in his store of Indians and their purchases I believe. Stiff Neck Jack, these are the names of the Indians and Big Pete, all these various ones that traded in our store and they would come in and this is what they would get. Big Tom and company then they would work in out and if they weren’t able to and this to me is a fascinating historical thing to have all these old Indians and it was just a little record book that was kept if they didn’t have the money then they would sometimes bring in baskets and leave here expecting that they would come back and redeem those baskets but so often some of them would go away or wouldn’t come back to get them or anything of that sort. The reason they would want their baskets back is they believed when any of them died all possessions that they had should be burned Matilda and her husband and I don’t know, seemed to me that he was Big Tom but I’m not positive but they had a little building they lived up in back of the area in Willow Springs, the Willow Springs area too up behind perhaps closer to uh um oh the people that have the house up there I’m trying to think of their name right now oh dear, at any rate closer this way probably then right behind Willow Springs I’ll probably think of the name shortly. And when Matilda died she had a sowing machine and all of her beautiful baskets everything that was in the house the whole house was burned her sowing machine all her dishes everything that was in that house they burned the whole thing because when she went to the happy hunting grounds she have all her possessions with her and that is the way they they believed in that sort of thing and the Indians from here have their burial ground up in that same area I’m trying to think of and they buried,

CURTAIN: Andberg  

BALL: Andberg that’s right that’s where the house would have been above

CURTAIN:  beyond that

BALL: Andberg they buried their dead in the trees they had a round house, this is all up above in that area above the Crystal Falls are because that is where the Indians were at that time before they were moved over to the Rancharia Cheerio. I we had some Indians that we were deathly afraid of as youngsters we had of course there were no buildings up in this area and when the Soulsby’s lived up on the what is now Willow Springs Ranch that was all one big ranch if we ever got up in the Club Foot Bill is the one we were so afraid of and I think he probably was a little crazy because he would chase us brandishing clubs or whatever he could find I suppose he just wanted to see us run.

CURTAIN:  But he never really hurt anyone.

BALL:  No I don’t think he ever did so I can’t think very much more about their customs. I is there anything that you would like to ask me about? I mean right now it’s um I’m kind of drawing a blank right now.

CURTAIN:  You told me quite a bit about the Indians tell me about the lumber business coming in then.

BALL:  Not so much here, not so much a way back in this area until Leonard had his mill over there.

CURTAIN:  And that was how many years ago?

BALL:  I couldn’t tell you. You see my husband and I were in the service for 20 years, we were gone for 20 years but I believe Leonard was here before we left. I don’t know. Did the folks tell you ah what used to be where his lumber mill is now, did they tell you any of the buildings that were there?

CURTAIN:  No I think not.

BALL:  I wish I had a description, that doesn’t help because we don’t have any pictures of it but you know where they said the butcher shop was?

CURTAIN:  Yes.

BALL:  Well just across the road from that where the lumber people are now just across the road from that um now there was one before that I was trying to think where the post office was, the original post office. It was down just about where the road turns to go in to the lumber area not over towards the office over towards the back of Leonard’s place but the other that rather that area is where our post office was and Leonard Jones mother was the post master, and I have that old original post office by the way, the post office itself with all the little pigeon holes and everything. In fact Mrs. Camel had it and she had to get rid of it when they upgraded the post office and she didn’t know what to do with it so I said I would be glad to get it from her so we bought it from her with all the old original names on them and it is really something you might sometime if I could ever I don’t think you could get into it we have it in the old store room I don’t think you could take a picture in there but I don’t know.

CURTAIN:  Well I’m not prepared to now but when I would have a flash.

BALL:  We’d have to clean out things in there, but sometime you just might enjoy.

CURTAIN:  Even after this class I would like to pursue this.

BALL:  I was just thinking it would be so wonderful if you would because it’s just that none of seem to get down to it.

CURTAIN:  I’m just touching on it now and the more I find the more I know that I want to dig into it so perhaps some day we can go into the store.

BALL:  That would be fine or perhaps sometime we may even have it out of there but as I say we’ve been remodeling. Anyhow where the road went in that was the old original Post Office that Leonard Jones’ mother was the post master and then across that road was where she lived and she also then had this other little, there was a little store there of some sort I believe we used to get candy and that sort of thing there and the and that is entirely gone you wouldn’t know there’s anything there. So many of the buildings, it was quite a thriving little community. You can’t see but there was one building here and another there and one up in back here and two or three up the hill.

CURTAIN:  Along the hill side. Was there a particular area where the miners shacks were or did the miners just have…

BALL:  Most of the miners had families.

CURTAIN:  They had families so they had just homes.

BALL:  More or less I suppose there or the hotel and they also had not only room there but they had board, room and board and that is a treasure for me to keep I mean I will be very particular to get that one back. (refers to picture) I have promised that to the daughter of the folks that originally had that hotel so I have to be sure that she gets that. Now you asked about the lumbering. I truly don’t think we had any lumbering in this particular area, I was looking at this picture, It says in Tuolumne County but you see that is not in our area here. It was only just when this mill came and they had to bring in they’re logs and we really didn’t have logging as an industry in this area. Now there was the Black Oak Mine, miners yes, we were surrounded more or less with mines now Black Oak Mine was a very large producing mine and also the Soulsby was. They lost the vain and that’s the reason it closed but it was producing right up until they lost the vain.

CURTAIN:  This was all quartz mining?

BALL:  Yes all quartz mining uh huh Now down here where the Cut Clear, not the Cut Clear building but the beer place in the Cut Clear Building, that originally was a very beautiful old home that belonged to the Showitz Mr. and Mrs. Sharowit SHAR I think it is Sharowit. And he was the Superintendent of the mine the mill or maybe both that I’m not certain of but I do remember that they lived there.

CURTAIN:  And this mill was for crushing the rock? Did the rock from all the mines around come to this area?

BALL:  It was just from the Soulsby Mine.

CURTAIN:  So they had their own.

BALL:  That’s why I was hoping I had a picture of both the mill and the mine, I thought I did. Bob seems, my husband seems to think they’re both one in the same.

CURTAIN:  So each of these mines had their own mill?

BALL:  They had their own mill and they’re own…

CURTAIN:  Draper Mine and the Black Oak.

BALL:  Black Oak and all those various mines.

CURTAIN:  Now this mine that’s over shaft I know we had one over there in Willow Springs was it, did it amount to very much?

BALL:  In Willow Springs that was up in the back wasn’t it? I really don’t know much about that mine, I know that used to be where we would take our, that area is where the slaughter house was by the way, where the Butcher Shop was up in that area. I don’t even know the name of that mine, I believe there is another shaft over in behind the Andburg’s, and by the way if this is the mill I’ll say this is the mill if by any chance this was the mill it was over here, on this side of it was a boarding house so there is where some of the miners lived, that was another boarding house and that was operated by Lionel Richard’s Aunt I think, so you see it’s kind of a closed, just family oriented more or less.

CURTAIN:  There weren’t a great many families in this area were there they were just.

BALL:  Well there were but all more or less inter-related. I could almost think of the names of the one’s that I remember.

CURTAIN:  Name the names of the ones that you remember.

BALL:  Well there were the Trengrove’s that was the Principal in that one picture that I showed you. He was the Principal of the one room the Trengrove’s.

CURTAIN:  How do you spell that?

BALL:  T R E N G R O V E and the Harry’s that was my mother’s family she was a Harry and that, I told you about Lenore and by the name her name is now Booker in Jamestown Lenore Booker, her husband is Raymond Booker, she may have some information for you too, she lives in Jamestown.

CURTAIN:  She lives in Jamestown.

BALL:  They have that um uh place just as you go in town where the oil is just that first, before you get down to the, where the um Highway Patrol is, it’s on the right hand side just as you pull into town I can’t think of the name of the place.

CURTAIN:  I don’t even know where.

BALL:  But anyways it’s the Booker property, and the Martin’s.

CURTAIN:  Martin?

BALL:  Yes Martin M A R T I N, that was the last name and the Davies, Curnow’s the Goldsworthy’s and the Nichols, Oliver, um

CURTAIN:  And I don’t know where I came across this name but  Hallock?

BALL:  Hallock? It doesn’t seem to remind me.

CURTAIN:  You don’t know that one? And a Rowe?

BALL:  Rowe yes the Rowe, well Hallock’s probably belonged here I don’t know but Rowe yes, and Travina T R A V I N A, that’s an old English family and um the Nichols the Richards, Carnes, Carne is a very old family, and um, are you running out now.

CURTAIN:  No I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t. What do you remember about the band the Pope?

BALL:  I belonged to it and that is about all I can say, I belonged to the Band Pope, we used to meet on Sunday afternoons and in fact those of us who belonged to the church and whose parents were really involved in the church spent most of the day there we would go to Sunday School and then church service in the afternoon and then band of Hope, ……. After that and then evening church services. The Band of Hope, I believe we met down in the Hall, did Lela mention that to you? I wonder who mentioned that to you?

CURTAIN:  Nichols has a picture.

BALL:  Oh does she.

CURTAIN: She has a picture of Band of Hope and Good Templer’s picnic.

BALL:  You see she had those things because Roy used to take the pictures and he took most of these that I have although lately in the later years I had my own camera too but these I’m sure he took. I don’t remember too much about it, Ed was oh 15, 16, years older than I am and as a result you can see from this you see (refers to picture) and I’m the littlest one, so there is that much difference so she would remember that I, to me was more or less a place that we went and I suppose we had I don’t know.

CURTAIN:  And the Good Templer’s?

BALL: The Good Templer’s was a, it was a prohibition group if you will, it had it’s own ritual, we had a ritual, in fact I was I guess the last one to hit that before it was disbanded and it had all of the various chairs just like any ordinary lodge would have and um it was that we didn’t believe in any drinking of any kind. And if even, any kind I mean what so ever, wine, beer, no nothing and that was the basic principle of it and I suppose mainly because my Grandfather was such a very strong prohibitionist and a great many people in the community belonged and more or less the Good Templer Lodge was our recreation lodge, in other words people would join it because that is where we would have our parties, after the lodge meeting was over that is when we would have our games, and our refreshments an uh it was just fun.

CURTAIN:  The when you had your fun time and your games were then all the family came is that right?

BALL:  No just the members who, just the lodge members, yes the one’s that belonged to the lodge, then when we would have our picnics that would be different I suppose then the whole entire family, although very often the whole family belonged to the lodge.

CURTAIN:  Oh I see.

BALL:  I don’t remember that the was ever any, I guess you had to be a certain age I think before you could join, but then when we’d have our get togethers then the family would come they could come to lodge affairs after the lodge meeting was over. Closed like any other lodge but then open to the families.

CURTAIN:  And the Silver Cornet Band?

BALL:  My father belonged to the Silver Cornet Band, in the paper a magazine, if you wana stop that just a moment. STOPS

General Information:

Interviewer:  Curtain, Bess

Interviewee: Mrs. Robert Ball

Name of Tape: Early [History of] Soulsbyville (ball_r_1_1)

When: 1973

Transcriber: Naomi (1/18/08)